Icehorse (IJspaard)

Project Information

LOCKLINEWe have reached our minimum target. Every new donation helps us take our plans to the next level, and for us to achieve the highest quality result.

TRAILER ICEHORSE

SYNOPSIS ICEHORSE

Johnny Mazzelaar has awoken again from a recurring dream in which he and two friends have slain a young woman and, instead of going to the police, have buried her body somewhere. Then he sees the same girl walking through the reeds of a wildlife sanctuary. Confused and shocked, he begins to follow her, unsure if she is a hallucination, a coincidence or a ghost. As Johnny gets closer to uncovering the events, he has a final confrontation with a mysterious figure who had been tracking the missing girl…

ICEHORSE – HOW IT ALL BEGAN

While on the set of Guido Van Driel’s De Wederopstanding van een Klootzak, I met up with actors Juliette van Ardenne and Juda Goslinga about an idea I had to do a Dutch film that was independently funded and fully improvised. As they are used to having to learn lines and do repeat takes, they were very keen, so we all set about creating characters for the actors. Once we had these, I created a structure around which we could construct a story for these characters, providing and withholding information from each character in order to create a true-to-life scenario. Then we went and shot the story based purely on character, even though no-one knew at the start how it would end up. We shot first in winter, and then in summer, and put the two stories together. This is the result…

MOTIVATION DIRECTOR

The world of cinema is changing. No longer are big budget films which take years to make the only way to get films made and seen. As a resident of the Netherlands, I wanted to make a film but felt I couldn’t write something about a culture that is foreign to me. So I set out to tell a Dutch story that was as true to contemporary Dutch life as possible. I chose to do this by getting trained and talented actors to create their own characters. This way, I could construct a fully improvised story by using these characters and creating obstructions and motivations for each of them. The result was a fascinating and exciting experiment. Everyone was out of their comfort zone but we were all acting from a place of truth, and we are all thrilled by the result…

WHERE WILL ICEHORSE BE SHOWN?

Our aim is to complete the film in time for submission to the 2014 Rotterdam Film Festival. Shooting took place in January and July 2013, and editing is planned for the coming weeks. After Rotterdam, we plan to have the film shown in international festivals with a view to onward distribution.

FUNDING TARGET

The funding target is €10,000, with a campaign duration of 40 days. A skeleton crew worked unhindered with a carefully selected group of actors on this improvised film, which produced highly unusual situations, characters and dialogue. The result is a fascinating project that brings together the finest Dutch actors. The funding target of €10,000 is the minimum amount needed to complete the edit, and to help with marketing, distribution and festival attendance.

REWARDS

Dear funders, for your gift you will get something in return! You can find the rewards on the right side of the page. Besides that, every funder will be able to download a film on ximon.nl

HOW CINECROWD CREATES TAX BENEFITS

The Dutch Tax Administration has classified the CineCrowd Foundation as a Public Benefit Organization (ANBI). This means that both project supporters and partners of CineCrowd may deduct their contributions from taxes. Tax benefits can be as high as 65% of the amount of the contribution.

Well, it's finally over. Our campaign closed officially today, with a grand total of 10,768 EURO, or 107% of our original target.

While there is still much to do in terms of work, fundraising, and so on, it's thanks to your belief, support and generosity that we can begin straightaway with the post-production work we need to do to get IJspaard ready for festivals.

In terms of your rewards, if you've claimed one, all names are in our database and we will be giving rewards at the applicable times. Our first action is to add those names to our credit list, so your name is forever connected to the film and the unique way it was made.

Other rewards can only come later of course, for example receiving the DVD. We can only do this once the film has done the festival circuit, has been distributed and made into a DVD. Other rewards will come in the course of the film's cycle.

So... bear with us... we won't forget about you. And, of course, we'll be sending you updates from time to time.

We're 15 days into the campaign and have 25 to go, and we're almost 25% of the way there. This is above average at this stage for campaigns of this length, so we are thrilled. And of course we want to thank you for your support...

Thanks to you, editing is almost complete and the sound mix and picture grade are schedule. But now we need to push on if we're going to reach our total and make these last bits of post-production a possibility.

It's your networks and contacts that can help. With your endorsement, people feel much more comfortable donating to a project than they would if they encountered it on their own.

So, if you can, let them know you supported us. Let them know about the rewards, including being able to watch the film, receive gifts and be invited to the premiere and after party. And also that, because Cinecrowd is a not-for-profit organisation, that their donation is largely tax-deductible. It's also worth mentioning their donation is risk-free: if we don't make the target, the money is paid back.

Please send this link to as many people as you can and help finish off this unique project!